


Facing Challenges

by mulderette



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 14:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15414927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mulderette/pseuds/mulderette
Summary: The team members, especially Callen, face some difficult challenges after the mission in Mexico. (Contains spoilers for the season 9 finale)





	1. Chapter 1

As he finally started to regain consciousness, the first thing he became aware of was the excruciating pain in his upper left leg. He groaned softly and felt someone take his hand. "Shh…don't try to move, Sam. You've lost a lot of blood," the soft, familiar voice said to him.

It took him a moment to place who was speaking as he opened his eyes feeling a combination of shock and relief. "Hidoko? I…we thought you were dead."

Hidoko shook her head and gave him a concerned smile. "I could say the same about you."

At that point, Sam began to take in his surroundings as he realized that he was in a medevac helicopter and the previous events began to come back to him. "G!" He turned his head in search of his partner and quickly found him being administered to by medical personnel. "G!" he repeated louder.

"He's being taken care of," Hidoko explained quietly. "You need to just rest right now, Sam."

"What's wrong with him?" Sam persisted. His gaze traveled and he found Kensi, sitting beside Deeks who was also being attended to. "Kens? Are you alright?"

Kensi turned to Sam, her face mapped with small cuts and abrasions. There was also a bandage on her forehead. "I'm okay, Sam," she replied. "You need to take it easy. Everything's okay."

Kensi's words didn't match her concerned expression and did nothing to reassure Sam. "Is Deeks alright?" Sam could see Deeks lying down, a pained look on his face as he was being examined.

"I'm fine, Sam," Deeks replied before Kensi had a chance to say anything. Sam didn't think Deeks looked very fine at all, but he said nothing as his attention once again returned to his partner. "Is G okay?"

"They're still evaluating him," Hidoko replied. "Try not to worry. We're going to be landing soon." Sam nodded his head, trying to stay alert to find out more about his teammates, but the pain and loss of blood got the better of him and he found himself unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

xxxxx

Hetty sighed softly as she continued to keep vigil over Callen. The team had been brought in to the medical center over 24 hours ago and he had yet to regain consciousness. She took his hand and softly began to speak to him once again in the hopes that he would begin to come around. "I had a bad feeling from the very beginning of this mission, but I had really hoped that you wouldn't feel the need to prove me right, Mr. Callen."

"Hetty?" Hetty looked up to see Sam enter the room, leaning heavily on a cane.

"Mr. Hanna, you should be in bed. Did you get permission to be roaming around the hospital?"

"How is he?" Sam asked, ignoring Hetty's question as he looked at his partner with obvious concern. Seeing G attached to various monitors, as well as a ventilator, was enough to tell him that his partner was not doing well, but he was compelled to ask the question anyway.

"The doctors will be able to tell us more when he regains consciousness," Hetty said. She refused to even voice the possibility that he might never wake up. She looked at Sam closely and could easily see that he didn't look particularly well. "Mr. Hanna, if you insist on staying here, please sit down before you fall down."

Sam didn't need to be told twice. He did as Hetty wanted and sat down in the other empty chair by Callen's bedside. "How are Kensi and Deeks?" he asked after a long silence.

"Mr. Deeks sustained a number of injuries including broken ribs and a fractured wrist. Ms. Blye is relatively unscathed except for some cuts and bruises. She was admitted for observation but is expected to be released today."

Sam nodded, glad that the injuries of the younger team members weren't life-threatening. His gaze traveled back to his partner who was pale and appeared alarmingly fragile to Sam. "If you need to take a break, I'm not going anywhere," he said.

"I'm fine right now, Mr. Hanna, thank you," Hetty said. She didn't have the heart to leave Callen yet. She was very much afraid of what could happen to him in her absence. She couldn't help but think about the time he had been shot on Venice Beach and the numerous times during that hospitalization when he had been close to death. She had been very much afraid of losing him.

"Okay, well the offer stands," Sam said with a nod although he totally understood Hetty's reluctance to leave Callen's side. He felt the same way. Realizing they might be in for a long wait, Sam made himself as comfortable as he could as he silently said a prayer that his partner and best friend would wake up soon.

xxxxx

Kensi sat by Deeks' side, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. He had been in a lot of pain and had been heavily medicated to enable him to get some much needed rest. He suddenly moaned and moved about restlessly in his sleep. "Shh…it's okay, baby," Kensi whispered as she gently put her hand on Deeks' forehead and brushed his hair back with her fingers.

"Kensi?" he murmured, barely able to open his eyes. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Deeks," Kensi said softly. "You really need to rest. Just close your eyes and sleep."

"What about the others?" Deeks persisted as he tried to escape the effects of the heavy medication. "Are Sam and Callen okay?"

"Sam's okay," Kensi replied. "The last I heard, Callen was still unconscious."

"We…we should check on them," Deeks said. At that point he was no longer able to resist the medication effects and he quickly dropped off to sleep once again.

xxxxx

Hetty finally decided to take a short break and returned to Callen's room carrying a bag and a tray with two cups in it, which she handed off to Sam. "You need to keep up your strength if you insist on being here."

Knowing that Hetty was right, and also that refusing her would prove futile, Sam nodded. The two then sat quietly as they ate their dinner. "So," Sam began when they were finished. "You never said how we were rescued." He didn't remember anything past the rocket hit to their SUV.

"Turk was able to get some men together and got there without a moment to spare," Hetty began. "He joined forces with Hidoko on the way and they were able to rescue you."

"We really owe that guy," Sam said as he looked at Hetty. "And you too for hooking us up with him."

"I'm just sorry I wasn't able to do more to keep you safe," Hetty said, her eyes on Callen once again.

"Hetty, you did everything you could to keep us safe," Sam said. "More than anyone, you know how this job works."

"Yes, that's true," Hetty said. "But it doesn't make it any easier when you and your teammates are put in harm's way."

"We all know what we signed up for," Sam said quietly, also turning his attention to Callen.

"Even so, it didn't have to go down the way it did," Hetty stated. "The executive assistant director has a lot she's going to have to answer for."

"Well, at least we got her son back," Sam said.

"Yes, but at what cost?" Hetty asked, wondering if the man who was like a son to her was going to end up paying for this mission with his life.

xxxxx

At 3:30 a.m., Deeks awoke abruptly as a sharp dagger of pain shot through his side into his chest. "Damn," he muttered, trying to control his breathing to keep the pain at bay.

"Deeks?" Kensi got up from the empty bed she was lying on and went over to him. "Are you in pain? Do you need the nurse?"

"I'm fine," he said, his face expressionless as he spoke. "You shouldn't be here, Kensi. You should go home."

"I want to be here," Kensi said.

"It would be good for Monty if you were at the house with him," Deeks continued.

"You know Jimmy is taking good care of Monty, Deeks," Kensi said, referring to a neighborhood college student who walked the dog daily and cared for him when they were away. "I'll stop by the house tomorrow though and check on him if it will make you feel better."

Deeks didn't respond. As far as he was concerned nothing was going to make him feel better right now. Everything was messed up and he didn't know if there was any way to fix it.

"Deeks? I'll check on Monty, okay?"

"Fine, Kensi," he finally responded in a monotone. He closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing, pretending to sleep. He was pretty sure he wasn't fooling Kensi, but he didn't want to talk to her anymore. He just didn't have the physical or the emotional capability to do so.

xxxxx

The next morning, Hetty took a break to go get breakfast for herself and Sam. "I'm sure this isn't the greatest tea or breakfast in the world," she said, handing Sam a cup and a Styrofoam container, "but I suppose it's better than nothing."

"I'm sure it's just fine, Hetty," Sam replied. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Hanna."

"I really wish he'd wake up," Sam said as he took a sip of his coffee and opened his breakfast container. He didn't voice his inner thoughts that the longer Callen remained unconscious, the smaller his chances were for a full recovery.

"I have a strong feeling that today is going to bring about some good news," Hetty stated.

"Well, I hope you're right," Sam said as he moved his scrambled eggs around with his fork. They didn't look particularly appetizing.

"Sam…not eating isn't going to help you and it certainly won't help your partner either," Hetty admonished lightly.

"I know," Sam said as he forced himself to eat a forkful of the rubbery concoction.

The pair then set about attempting to eat their meals. "I think we'd be best served by getting lunch somewhere outside the hospital this afternoon," Hetty said a short time later as she put aside her mostly uneaten breakfast sandwich.

Sam quickly nodded in agreement as he closed the lid on his breakfast container and sipped his coffee which, thankfully, was better than the food.

xxxxx

It was shortly after 10 a.m. when Sam noticed the first positive sign. Callen moved his head slightly and then his hand. Sam put his hand over Callen's and whispered, "G…hey buddy, can you hear me?" Callen's eyes slowly opened and almost immediately things began to go downhill. Callen looked bewildered and panicked as the reading on his heart monitor started rising at an alarming pace. Sam and Hetty both attempted to calm him, but their efforts proved futile. Medical staff arrived in the room moments later and quickly ushered Sam and Hetty out into the hallway.

"Did you see how scared he looked?" Sam asked after a few moments of silence. He couldn't help but be troubled to have seen the uncustomary fear which had been present in his best friend's eyes.

Hetty slowly shook her head. "He was likely just very confused and disoriented. I think he just needs some time to clear his head and make sense of everything that happened."

Sam nodded, but he wasn't quite sure he agreed. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was pretty sure there was something more to the look he had seen on G's face.

After a 40-minute wait, which seemed like forever, Callen's doctor, Dr. Perez, finally came out of the room. "Can we go somewhere to speak privately?" he asked.

"Of course," Hetty replied.

"Is G okay?" Sam asked.

Dr. Perez nodded. "He's sleeping right now."

Sam and Hetty exchanged a look then followed the doctor down the hallway into a small office. He turned on the light and closed the door. "Please take a seat."

"So what's wrong with him?" Sam asked, as soon as the three were seated.

"Well…it's his memory…"

"What about it?" Hetty asked. "Does he not remember what happened to him?"

Dr. Perez shook his head. "It's not just that," he said slowly. "At the moment, he doesn't remember anything at all."

"Nothing?" Sam asked, stunned by this unexpected piece of information. "As in, he doesn't even know who he is?"

"At the time I questioned him, he didn't," Dr. Perez stated. "I believe he's suffering from post-traumatic amnesia."

"How long does that last?" Sam asked.

"There's no real way of telling," Dr. Perez replied. "I'm going to run some more tests on him, but there's a good chance they won't tell us anything. It could be very short-term or could last for hours, days, weeks, even months. Hopefully, it will just be short-term. In any case, I'd like you both to be there when he awakens again." He paused for a few moments to allow Hetty and Sam to digest what he had told them before continuing. "Also, please be aware that it's very important to remain calm and don't let him see you upset. No matter how distressing his condition may be to you, understand that its much worse for him."

"We can do that," Sam replied and Hetty nodded in agreement.

"Good," said Dr. Perez as he stood up. "Let's get back to him then and we'll see if your presence has any effect on him."

Sam and Hetty stood up as well then apprehensively headed back in the direction of Callen's room.


	2. Chapter 2

Callen appeared to be asleep when Hetty and Sam returned to his room. They took their former seats by his bedside and silently resumed waiting. Dr. Perez checked the readings on Callen's monitors, then made a few notations on his chart. "I'll be back in a bit," he said quietly to Hetty and Sam. "Just remember not to upset him if he wakes up before I return."

It wasn't long after the doctor had left the room before Callen began to stir, moaning softly as he did so. His eyes then opened and he stared at Sam and Hetty, appearing very uneasy.

"Hello, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, smiling at him as she gently took his hand. "I'm Hetty. We've been very worried about you and are glad to see you're doing better."

Callen just stared at her, not saying a word.

"Hey, G...I'm Sam. I'm your best friend. How are you feeling?" Sam forced a smile as Callen turned his eyes toward him, but there was no recognition in them whatsoever.

"Can we get you anything?" Hetty asked, trying to get some kind of a response out of Callen, other than the eerie stare he was giving them.

Callen continued to stare at Hetty for a few more moments before he slowly shook his head.

"What's wrong, G?" Sam asked.

Callen didn't speak, but his breathing was becoming more rapid and he was obviously anxious.

"There's nothing to be scared about," Hetty said gently as she patted his hand affectionately. "We're all very good friends."

"I'm not scared," Callen snapped, finally speaking as he tugged his hand away from Hetty's grasp.

Hetty and Sam exchanged glances, unsure of how to deal with the situation. They didn't want to upset Callen any more than he already was.

"I think you should leave," Callen stated. The tone of his voice was a lot harsher than the look in his eyes, but Hetty and Sam didn't want to push him.

"We'll go, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, "but we'll be back. Perhaps then we'll be able to talk further and answer any questions you might have."

Callen was silent once again and his troubled gaze followed the pair as they left the room. He then breathed a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes to try to sleep, wanting to block out the confusion and uncertainty that surrounded him.

xxxxx

"That wasn't good," Sam said after they had left Callen alone.

"No...no it wasn't," Hetty replied, "but at least, he's improving. He's conscious and that's the most important thing at the moment. I believe the rest will come in time."

"He doesn't even want to be around us," Sam stated, clearly bothered by what had transpired with his partner.

"We're just strangers to him right now, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said. "Hopefully, as we continue to visit him, he'll become more comfortable with us and things will progress from there."

Sam ran his hand over his face. He was exhausted and was finding the whole situation difficult to deal with. Hetty looked at him thoughtfully. "Sam...you really need to get some rest. I think one night in your own bed would do wonders for you You seem to forget you're still healing yourself." Hetty gave an exaggerated look at Sam's leg to illustrate her point.

Sam pondered Hetty's suggestion for only a few moments before he shook his head. "I don't want to leave him right now."

"Even in his current state? We can't keep forcing ourselves on him if he doesn't want us there. It's not going to help matters and may make things even worse."

"You don't understand, Hetty," Sam began to explain. "When G was infected with the spiral bio weapon, he was really grateful to have me there with him, I just think…"

"Mr. Hanna," Hetty interrupted gently as she placed her hand on Sam's arm. "I understand that you want to be there for your partner, but you need to understand that he's in a very different mindset than anything we have ever seen before. Right now, I think we need to abide by Mr. Callen's wishes. If you don't want to go home for the whole night, at least go back to your boat for a few hours, take a shower, eat a good meal and get a bit of rest. Then you can return here, refreshed and with a clear mind. I will be here for him while you're gone. I'm going to go see how Mr. Deeks is doing and then I will be back here to watch over him."

Sam tried to think of a reason to debate with Hetty further, but truthfully, he knew that she was right. "Okay," he said. "I'm not going to be gone long though. I just...I don't feel right about being away from him for too long, especially if he regains his memory. He's going to wonder why he's alone."

Hetty nodded, not having the heart to say that she didn't think that was going to happen as soon as Sam was hoping. She hoped more than anything that she was wrong, but she had a feeling they were going to be in for a long and bumpy ride.

xxxxx

Hetty walked into Deeks' room, a little surprised not to see Kensi by his side. Then again, she was sure the young woman was exhausted and likely had needed to take a break. Deeks was asleep, but it didn't appear to be a peaceful sleep. Every once in a while, he would murmur something incoherently and move about fitfully, as if he was uncomfortable, even in his sleep.

Hetty went to sit down in the chair beside Deeks' bed and he immediately opened his eyes, appearing startled.

"Oh I'm very sorry, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Hetty." Deeks took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, wincing a bit at the sharp pain in his ribs. "How are you?"

"I believe it's me who should be asking you that question, isn't it?" Hetty asked.

"I'm fine," Deeks answered, not at all convincingly.

"Hmm…" Hetty didn't contradict him, but she didn't believe him for a second.

"How's Callen?" Deeks asked.

"Well, he is definitely improving," Hetty said. "He's regained consciousness which is a very good sign, but..."

Deeks looked at Hetty suspiciously. "But what?

Hetty sighed softly. "Unfortunately, at the moment, Mr. Callen is suffering from amnesia."

Deeks' eyes widened in disbelief. "Amnesia? Seriously?" That was one thing he hadn't expected to hear. "How bad? I mean, total amnesia, like he doesn't know who anyone is?"

Hetty nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. At least he doesn't know who Sam and I are."

"Wow…" Deeks took a few moments to digest this newest bit of information. "I wonder if he'll know who I am? Maybe I can say something to jog his memory."

"Well, his doctor says that we shouldn't do anything to upset him," Hetty said. "So when you are able to go and see him, you'll need to be very careful with what you say."

"I wouldn't say anything to upset him," Deeks said, a bit annoyed at what he felt was an insinuation that he would.

"Hmm…" Hetty decided a change in subject was in order. "Are you comfortable enough?" she asked. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Deeks shook his head. "I'm good. I don't need anything, thanks."

Hetty studied him for a few moments. He was obviously unhappy although she wasn't sure why. "Are you sure you're not in too much pain? I can call somebody for you."

Deeks shook his head again. "I said I was good, Hetty."

There was a long silence between them before Hetty spoke again. "I'm surprised that Ms. Blye isn't with you. Is she off taking a break?"

Deeks nervously bit his lip and didn't meet Hetty's eyes. He definitely wasn't going to talk about his and Kensi's relationship with her. "She went to the house to check on Monty. She'll probably be back soon." Or maybe she wouldn't be. Things were far from normal between them.

"Well, I know that Monty will be very happy to see her," Hetty said. "I'm sure he misses both of you."

"I miss him too," Deeks said, a hint of sadness in his blue eyes.

"Well, you'll be able to see him very soon. Speaking of which, is there any word on when you might be released from the hospital?"

"As far as I'm concerned, I should be able to leave now, but I think they're making me stay at least until tomorrow," Deeks replied, unable to hide his discouragement at having to spend another night in the hospital.

"A decision I agree with," Hetty said. "I see no reason for you to go rushing home, although I know Ms. Blye would prove to be quite a capable nurse." Hetty gave Deeks a smile which he didn't return. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?" Hetty could see that there was something seriously troubling the young detective and she wanted to help him if she could. "Or if you don't want to speak to me, perhaps I should call Ms. B…"

"No!" Deeks snapped quickly, interrupting her. "I don't want you to call Kensi. Just let her rest...please just keep out of it, Hetty. Please."

"All right," Hetty answered calmly, not wanting the situation to escalate any further. Hopefully, whatever the problem was, which she now strongly suspected was between him and Ms. Blye, it would be resolved quickly. "I'll leave you alone so you can get some rest. I'm only a phone call away if you need me."

"Thank you," Deeks said, nodding his head. "I...I appreciate that, Hetty."

"It's no problem at all." Hetty smiled kindly at Deeks and gently patted his hand. "You get some rest dear and feel better."

Deeks nodded again, watching as Hetty left the room then he tried to get comfortable on the bed. Feeling better sounded like such a simple request, but he knew it was anything but that.

xxxxx

Callen managed to fall asleep, but not for too long. When he awoke, he was relieved to find himself alone, but he still had no memories at all of who he was or what his life was like. He saw the remote control to the television set attached to the rail of his bed and turned on the t.v. He then began slowly and methodically scanning through the channels. He finally settled on a shopping show and began watching the overly perky saleswoman who was talking about all the features of a high end laptop computer.

"Do you need a new computer, Callen?" Kensi asked, smiling as she entered his room. "I'm sure Hetty would be more than happy to get you one. It's so good to see you with your eyes open." She walked over to Callen and pulled him into a gentle hug, but almost immediately she felt him tense up in her arms so she let him go. "What's the matter? Did I hurt you?"

"Who are you?" Callen blurted out, staring at her like she was some kind of a monster.

"Who am I?" Kensi asked as she realized something was very wrong. "Callen, it's me, Kensi...you don't recognize me?"

He pulled the covers up more tightly around his chest as if he was shielding himself from her. Kensi just looked at him, unsure of what to do or what to say. Finally, she spoke up. "We...we work together. We're very good friends. We've known each other for a long time."

Callen said nothing. He was tired of these people coming in and making him feel like he was some kind of an animal on display in the zoo.

"Callen?"

He finally spoke, frustrated and fed up with the whole situation. "You may know me, but I don't know you. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a stranger. I really don't want you here. You need to leave." He proceeded to glare at her, making it very obvious that she was not welcome.

Unsure of his diagnosis and what exactly was going on with him medically, Kensi decided to abide by his wishes. "All right...I'll go," she said softly. "You take care of yourself, Callen. I'll see you soon." Kensi then headed out, more worried than ever about the state of their team, which was currently in shambles.


End file.
